Acknowledgements
I acknowledge with gratitude the help that I have received from many librarians and
archivists who, by identifying and making available material in their custody, have
contributed so much to the preparation of this work. I would like to thank the
following for their kindness in allowing me to consult papers in their ownership: the
Duke of Bedford (Bedford Official Papers, Bedford Settled Estates Office), the Duke
of Marlborough (Sunderland Papers, Blenheim Palace), the Marquess of Bath
(Coventry Papers, Longleat House), the Marquess of Downshire (Trumbull Papers,
on deposit at the Berkshire Record Office) and the Earl of Dartmouth (Dartmouth
Papers, on deposit at the Staffordshire Record Office).
J. C. S.